


travelin'

by bladegays



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Coming Out, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Phandom Big Bang, Phandom Big Bang 2017, ayo its HERE, been workin on this au for like a yearrrr, thank u team for actually making me finish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-18 21:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12396225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bladegays/pseuds/bladegays
Summary: Dan and Phil were travellers, constantly exploring and venturing off. However, they take a break from their adventures to foster a puppy, and end up looking even more like a married couple, by none other than platonically sharing a bed. You know, because the puppy sleeps there, of course. However, when the puppy is adopted, there shouldn’t be a reason to still share a sleeping space, should there? Turns out they’re both pining after each other but are too oblivious to realize.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for the 2017 pbb and im SO glad i finally finished this, ive been fond of this au since last year now she's here!!!! oof!!!!
> 
> follow my team on tumblr who made this all come together!  
> beta @spaceisbeautiful  
> artist @beginblu

##  1.

 

Up, away, off their feet, off the ground, out of town, out of sight, far, far away. It was always time to travel with Dan and Phil. Whether it be a tropical seaside or a busy city, the adventurous duo often found themselves in crazy places. They were a good pair, though. They would have to be to spend so much time together, constantly exploring and searching.

 

Phil was a youtuber, more specifically, a travel vlogger. He had around five million followers and a loving audience who admired his ventures. When he wasn't travelling, he supplied other videos such as the stereotypical challenge with his own creative twist, or collaborations with friends— most of the time being Dan.

 

Dan was also a part of the YouTube community, with two million subscribers, however he wasn't  _ exactly _ a youtuber, and didn't upload to a schedule like his housemate did. His videos weren't set up with cameras and lights in a room, but were instead spontaneous and usually artsy, like two minute footages of a camera drone flying over a canyon, or exotic birds in a neat sanctuary. He appreciated the aesthetic he could keep up, making youtube just a creative space for himself rather than a job.

 

Now, being the devoted travellers that they were, they spent a lot of time together. Their friendship could be described in a variety of ways, but they were both dependant on each other, and easily would admit it. They'd lived together for nine years, and known each other for a year before that. The special 2009 year, all the way up to the year 2019, and ten years of growing and learning was a lot to take in.

 

But their everyday lives were not quite similar to this  _ legacy  _ then held up. If that was considered a legacy, at the least. The real, authentic Dan and Phil were just two friends who liked to travel in each other's company.

 

And even though the adored travelling, seeing new sights and exploring, they loved going home. That one familiar place where they could just rest and relax. Home was where they were headed after a week-long trip in Los Angeles for a Youtube convention and a visit to some of their American friends. They decided to pick an early flight, even though airports were never not busy, but the early hours of the morning had a more tame atmosphere.

 

They arrived at the airport at three in the morning, checking in by four. They were set for when they were going to fly at four forty-five, so they decided to grab a coffee and head for the terminal. They found the number they were assigned, but it was deserted. Only one young woman was there, sat with a laptop.

 

Dan glanced at his phone. The time read four fifteen, so the flight was only in half an hour, yet no one was there. “That's weird,” he mumbled to Phil, as he snatched their tickets from the other’s hand and read them over.

 

“It is kinda strange, maybe there was just less people?” Phil sounded confused as they stood there. “Or maybe they're all at the café? It was busy in there—”

 

“Phil,” Dan pressed, sounding suspicious. “What time was our flight?”

 

“Four forty-five?” The black-haired man’s voice edged with confusion. Dan raised an eyebrow.

 

“This says  _ five _ forty-five, not four.” Dan passed Phil back his ticket. “How on earth did you manage to mix that up?”

 

“Oh, shit.” Phil’s eyes immediately filled with panic, accidentally cursing as he double checked. “Sorry, I must have read it wrong, I don't know how—”

 

“It's fine,” Dan sighed, but sympathized. He likely would have done the same thing. “You're lucky that this airport has a shopping centre, I guess.”

 

“You're quick to blast money,” Phil snickered, the distress quickly washing out of his gaze. Dan knew how to cheer him up, that was for sure.

 

“Shut up.” Dan turned away from the terminal entrance, and beckoned for Phil to follow, as they headed down the hall. It was far from what could be considered a  _ travel disaster,  _ and quite like the both of them to mix something up in the rush of leaving the country. “Glad we’ll have a break from airports after this,” he continued as they strolled down the halls of the high-ceilinged building. “No more departure mix-ups, for a few months, at least.”

 

Dan and Phil weren't great at travelling, surprisingly, but that was due to the fact that neither of them were good at planning things ahead of time. Many of their trips were spontaneous and came out of the blue, and even with all the  _ practice _ they’d had booking flights or hotels, they often got caught up with new troubles every outing.

 

“At least we’re finally  _ early _ ,” Phil chimed in, recalling the many times they’d had to sprint across airports to not miss their flights. “ _ You could make a video out of this, _ ”

 

 Dan snorted, his laugh caught off guard. That phrase was one of their many inside jokes, originated from Phil saying the danisnotonfire channel was dead, followed by listing off things that were too dumb to actually make a video about and giving them a dramatic title.

 

“Yes, the title will be  _ Stuck In Airport For 4 Hours? _ ”

 

Phil, then nodded. “I sense that it’ll be the twelfth video on trending.”

 

Two hours later, they had taken off and were on their way home. Phil was asleep, and Dan was on his phone, headphones on with familiar music. The plane was rather quiet and peaceful, mostly packed with older business workers and a few tourists. He felt quite young compared to the group around him at the time.

 

It  _ was _ peaceful, until a strong thrust threw the plane forward. About half of the passengers, assumably the ones without their seatbelt buckled, hit their heads against the seat in front of them. Dan was one of those people, as he sat up after the hit of the powerful force in a daze. Most of the sleeping passengers woke up, excluding Phil, who was still dozing off.

 

Everyone gave each other a nervous glance, silently admitting that it was a rather aggressive slam. After a moment, the seatbelt light flicked on, and the pilot spoke through the overhead stereo, addressing that they'd just hit a bird, but it would be okay and wouldn't slow down the ride.

 

Dan was a bit horrified by this, and wished Phil was awake so he didn't have to feel slightly alone. Speaking of Phil,  _ how _ had he managed to sleep through that impact? He knew his friend was a deep sleeper, but the most he'd ever slept through was during a very windy London storm years ago where there was a fire in the apartment below them and they were meant to evacuate. He’d nearly forgotten to wake Phil up to leave. Though how he managed to not hear the blaring alarm would forever be a mystery to his roommate.

 

Dan sighed. He remembered the first night they spent together, which was basically an all-nighter, laughing and talking until four in the morning. It was one of their favourite memories together, so many years ago. They'd first met in a funny way. Way back in early 2009, Dan was a big fan of Phil’s youtube channel, and had frequently sent the older boy some attention-seeking tweets. Phil tweeted him back about once, not really interested. It wasn't until the summer of that year, they both happened to be on a trip to Sweden and bumped into each other. Dan was obviously, starstruck, which Phil found kind of endearing in person.

 

Phil was on a family trip and got lost from his tour group, so had asked Dan, an emo-haired stranger, for directions. Dan realized it was the one and only  _ AmazingPhil _ he was with, and Dan had no idea where he was either. So, Dan just pulled up a map on his phone and started talking. They'd never forget how awkwardly he’d rambled on when he met Phil as a fan, as he’d gushed to his online hero about his aspirations to be a youtuber for a solid three minutes until Phil chuckled and asked for his twitter so they could chat more.

 

It went from there, in a way. They talked on twitter for a while, got to become internet friends. Phil started tagging Dan in funny cat pictures. That was the true symbol of friendship back then. Then it was Skype calls. Over-the-phone, getting used to each other's voices, growing closer. Then video chats that went from awkward to staying awake until two in the morning, talking softly about everything and nothing. And finally, they saw each other for the first time in half a year. Dan got to hug and hold Phil as a person for the first time. It was nice. They spent that weekend together, barely sleeping, and being so  _ happy.  _ Deep down, in a young love kind of way.

 

But Dan, ten years later, wouldn't tell himself that. Yes, he loved Phil, and was sure Phil loved him too, but not in the gushy overly-romantic way. Not in any romantic way, perhaps. In a generally appreciative way. A home-sweet-home kind of way. Because they made each other feel at home.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Phil collapsed onto his bed, before even turning on any lights in the house. He was grateful to be home in their cozy old house after a week in America at various parties and events. 

 

Their house was filled to the brim with memories and trinkets they'd accumulated over those ten years together, like rose gold awards and anime plushies. Phil was definitely a  _ useless but quirky souvenir  _ kind of guy, so most of their shelf space was just cute figurines and framed travel pictures. Dan was more of a  _ collect it for the aesthetic  _ hoarder _ ,  _ so his things were mostly pretty sea shells or foreign paintings on the walls.

 

Luckily, they'd bought a pretty big house just outside of the Brighton town. It looked cute and faded blue on the outside, and was fully renovated and roomy inside. Dan and Phil were literally rich, but didn't intend on making it seem so, besides their house and the expensive clothes Dan bought, so that their fans could acknowledge that, and any new viewers didn't feel like they were watching princesses that only made videos for the money.

 

 The tall brunette dropped his suitcase on his bedroom floor, flicked on a few lights, and filled the kettle. “Want coffee?” He called out, pulling out some cups. 

 

Phil called back a cheery,  _ “yes please,”  _ So, choosing between their endless collection of mugs, Dan picked out his own with a photo of his family's old dog, Colin, printed on it, along with an adventure time mug for Phil.

 

Phil was still on his bed when Dan brought in his coffee. It was nearing one in the morning, but they'd agreed that they wanted to stay up for a bit longer, since the jet lag had them up anyway.

 

Dan started scrolling through the assortment of photos he'd taken on their trip, mostly pictures of nice palm trees or selfies with other youtubers. He stopped at one, which was an appealing picture of Phil in the sunlight. His pale tone glowed in the rays and his sunglasses made it look ironic. He showed the picture to Phil.

 

“Reaction photo?” He queried, smiling. Phil gave him a look, confused, but amused. The picture of Phil was spontaneous and he wasn't looking directly at the camera, more of a distant glance. His expression asked what feeling this picture was supposed to convey. Dan shrugged in response. “Uh, like if you're basking in all your glory? Or like, uh…” He broke off, losing his thought.

 

“Man, I thought you were the one with artistic dedication and, like, seven years of photography experience.” Phil chuckled. “This is obviously instagram worthy. Almost icon perfect. Think about everyone who'll change their icons to this, Daniel.”

 

“Fine,” Dan gave in. “You post it, then, if it's so good.” He sent the picture to Phil, and noticed he was looking towards the shelf, glancing through the large assortment of things they owned.

 

“I think the weird surfboard thing could go there,” Phil pointed towards the bottom shelf. Dan shook his head.

 

“Nah, that's a true treasure.” He gestured towards the top two spots. “I've never seen anything as great as an antique with a turtle riding a surfboard.  _ Weird  _ isn’t the word I’d use to describe it. It’s… iconic.”

 

“Yeah,” Phil teased him. “That's why you spent twenty bucks on it, right?”

 

“Obviously,” Dan sipped his drink. “It was one of a kind, I couldn't miss that opportunity.”

 

Phil grinned. This was one of the things he appreciated most about his best friend, the fake quarrels and rallying. At the end of the day, Dan didn't really mean it when he screamed “Fuck you, Phil Lester!” across the house because Phil had finished the cereal. It made their friendship stronger, being able to make fun of each other without actually shattering the other one’s feelings. They'd gotten the “compliment” that they seemed like an old married couple a few times now, and they would admit, they were starting to see where they were coming from.

 

He sighed, grateful. Their home was peaceful, and captured like a moment in time they'd remember forever. The black walls of the lounge, framed art and photos scattered around. Some they'd had since 2011, some they'd just gotten from fans and thought it deserved a place. The velvet sofa that had replaced the iconic  _ sofa crease  _ a year before, because keeping a couch that was slowly ruining your back for 7 years wasn't quite necessary. The window that looked out towards a neighbourhood, and the North Sea in the distance. The roomy kitchen, that had a collection of polaroid photos along the fridge, and the cupboard that was full of their giant collection of mugs. Or Dan’s messy, but messily neat room, where he kept his solid black and white aesthetic strong. Phil’s colourful room, full of the most random items that he could never bring himself to throw away.

 

Above all, the house, and everything inside, was home. The home they'd had together for years. Though they were new to the Brighton house, living alongside each other for nearly a decade was  _ home _ . They were simply so cozy with each other, more than their fans could know. They had a million inside jokes and knew each other so very well, which was expected when you spent a solid seventy-five percent of your life together, in fact, they  _ literally  _ hadn't been apart for more than two weeks since  _ 2009 _ . The most they spent not home was a week with their separate families for Christmas each year. Otherwise, they went on nearly all of their trips together, went shopping together, went to events together. In fact, even during events like conventions, they rarely even separated. They were a catch for each other in awkward situations with people, which made the whole crowded experience a bit easier.

 

So, when they really thought about it, Dan and Phil themselves were  _ home  _ to each other. It didn't matter if they were across the world from their house, they were at home as long as they were together.

 

Phil felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, as he strolled down a familiar street, carrying a plastic bag. The sky above him was a soft blue, but in the distance, darker clouds were caving in. He checked his phone and saw that Dan had messaged him.

 

**_ Dani Snot On Fire _ **

_ ur my knight in shining armor _

 

Phil couldn't help but smile a bit. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Dan had pestered him into walking down the street to buy some almond milk; Dan often had phases where he decided to go vegan for a month or so, and it was one of those months. Phil wanted to go for a walk anyway, thinking there would be a nice sunset, but it looked like it would rain. Phil sent back a reply.

 

_ I’m wearing pyjama pants. Also if it rains you're dead to me _

 

**_ Dani Snot On Fire _ **

_ :”) _

 

Phil continued his stroll, lost into thought. It was funny when he thought about it, their lives had some sort of filter online. He knew everyone had some kind of persona, but things like running out to get your roommate almond milk was one of the things they could share if they wanted, but wouldn’t. Their audience got a very small fraction of their lives.

 

They used to think they were as open as they could be, but they’d see random comments from people who  _ actually  _ thought they hated each other when Dan often swore at Phil. Even though those comments were uncommon, their true audience didn’t know that much about them either, especially not Dan, as he wasn’t as avid about videos. Though, Dan liked interacting with his fans on twitter. But they only vlogged trips when something exciting was happening, so being active while at home was a bit unlikely.

 

They learned that it was okay, because most people didn’t share everything with a huge audience, but in comparison to their youtuber peers, Dan and Phil seemed quite mysterious and closed off.

 

Suddenly Phil had stopped in his tracks in the middle of his thoughts, catching a sound in an alleyway between two small shops. His mind guided him to fearlessly walk down it, as he was swallowed by the shadows. The sound was rather muffled, so it was shocking that he even caught it, and his mind should have assumed it was a mouse and nothing worth following. Nevertheless, a nagging feeling of curiosity led him to instinctively walk further towards the sound.

 

However,  what he saw was certainly worth finding.

 

Phil found the source of the muffled squeak in a dumpster. There was definitely something alive and stirring in it. Somehow he remained calm, but his hands were shaking.

 

He cautiously opened the lid of the dumpster and peered inside, and was immediately struck with an anxious pain. After a sharp intake of breath, his heart stopped for a second and immediately began throbbing, because in the dumpster was a soft-looking mother dog nestling three puppies, a number of bloodstains scattered around her. It was clear they were newborn puppies. The mother barely glanced up when Phil opened the lid, letting some light hit them.

 

Phil immediately reached for his phone, instinctively calling Dan. He felt his chest hollow as Dan picked up.

 

“I just found,” Phil stammered into the phone. “I-in a dumpster, a dog and t-three puppies. The puppies are squirming. I don’t know if the mum’s doing o-okay.”

 

Dan barely paused. “Okay, Phil. Deep breath. I’ll text you the animal control number. Where are you? I’ll come, okay? Just call the number.”

 

“A-alright,” Phil hung up and took a deep breath, calling up the animal control and giving them the situation and location. Dan arrived first, and helped Phil calm down, as the vets came in and carefully brought the dogs to their emergency care.

 

“Thank you, sir.” One of the vets stopped to speak to Phil. “You and your husband did a great work calling us. We’ll bring them down to clinic, but we don’t think the mum will survive. She’s lost a lot of blood,”

 

“Will the puppies be okay?” Phil echoed, still shaking slightly. He couldn’t be bothered to correct the vet about Dan being his  _ friend,  _ either.

 

“They should survive under proper care. And some fostering, soon enough. Look into it, you’ve saved lives today.” The vet turned towards the van, and started driving off,

 

“You okay?” Dan asked, gently prodding Phil’s shoulder.

 

Phil let out a long sigh, passing the plastic bag with almond milk in it to Dan.

 

“Oh,” Dan replied coyly. “Thanks.”

 

“Dan,” Phil stared off into the distance. “Let’s go home now, but I think we need a dog.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Phil had visited the puppies every day during the week, with teary eyes and admiration. There were three male puppies, three strong troopers who'd lost their mother. The vet examined them as australian shepherd and bernese mountain dog mixes, and looked like little dwarf rabbits as the newborns they were.

 

So, when Phil was told the puppies were ready to be fostered for a while, he begged Dan for  _ days _ . Dan’s only problem with getting one of the puppies was that they had barely any idea of how to care for them, and they'd have to stay home for however long it needed. However, Phil had researched newborn puppy care extensively already. “Eight weeks, Dan, just eight weeks!” He'd repeated that phrase so many times it could’ve been on his tombstone. He did promise on his life that he'd take full responsibility to feed the puppy every few hours, potty train it, and become a dog mom.

 

Dan gave in after the eighth day of Phil begging. With the okay of his housemate, Phil was out the door within minutes to buy everything he'd need; dog milk substitute, bottles, a gated fence, some comforters, a potty-training pad, about a million other things that were suggested for fostering. 

 

He didn't hesitate to set everything up, then excitedly took Dan and went to the vet. There were three puppies, and it took Phil a solid half an hour to choose between them, since Dan had already given him a flat out  _ no  _ as to taking in all three. 

 

Phil wasn’t just fostering because they were  _ cute  _ anymore. With all the research he’d done, he’d learned that orphaned puppies just needed a whole lot of love. He couldn’t  _ sleep  _ knowing these puppies would have probably died if he hadn’t found them in the dumpster. Also, the vets said it was probably a person abusing their mother that got them there, so he knew he needed to take one in to make up for the terrible human who left them alone.

 

The puppies were very squirmy, and had soft eyes that they weren’t great at keeping open. Phil got to hold each one, and the look on his face could outshine the sun. What made it funnier, but also more heartfelt, were the tears of joy rolling down his face. Dan took a million pictures, absolutely blessed by the whole scene.

 

Phil was sold when the final puppy, who was white with gray colour points coming in, reached over his tiny head and licked Dan’s hand. When Phil looked up from the puppy, Dan’s face was full of tears too.

 

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Phil had whispered. Dan nodded in reply, ever so softly. 

 

That was the moment Astro became a part of their lives.

The name choice was easy, as the puppy gave off a starry vibe, and both boys were obsessed with space. Caring for Astro wasn’t as hard as Dan thought it would be, as the tiny creature mostly just slept and got bottle fed. Which meant Phil had to give up a few extra hours of sleep in order to make sure Astro was being fed properly, but it was worth it. Astro was already showing signs of getting stronger within a few days.

 

It made their home even more gentle, and somehow Phil had already fallen asleep on their couch with Astro snoozing on his chest on three different occasions, which was just the perfect image of peace.

 

Soon enough, after they’d told their fans about the foster pup and they begged for as many pictures as possible, they took Astro out for a little walk— or more like a carry, as the puppy wasn’t quite strong enough to walk on a leash yet. It was a lovely scene, as sunlight peeked through the trees at their favourite park, and Phil didn’t look away from his puppy’s curious eyes for a second.

 

“Here, buddy,” Phil bent down to the grass and gently let Astro stumble out of his arms. The weary puppy curiously sniffed the air before deciding to hop out of Phil’s grasp, plopping onto the ground, and his tiny, puzzled eyes gazed out to the world with the twitch of his ear.

 

Phil gave Dan and enthusiastic thumbs up. “He loves it! Come see!”

 

Dan cautiously kneeled down beside Phil, lightly letting Astro sniff his hand. The puppy wobbled into the other direction slowly, ears rising, and the sunlight perfectly hitting off of his soft fur. Dan reached for his phone to photograph what seemed so ideally heartwarming. However, he stopped, and let it be, simply glancing between Phil and Astro and appreciating the moment for what it was. It must have looked a bit silly, being two six foot tall men on the grass, gushing over a tiny creature that wasn’t doing much but looking around and tripping. Simple, silly, but a moment they’d surely remember forever.

  
  


“You’re positive?”

 

“I’m always up anyway, Phil,” Dan got a glass of water before flickering off the kitchen light. “It’s not a big deal.”

 

“Okay…” Phil hesitated. “Run through what you’re meant to do again?”

 

“Place the bottle in hot water for about a minute, make sure Astro’s on his tummy and not too squirmy, pinch the bottle nip slightly at the sides, and wait for him to swallow it. Then burp him by gently patting his sides and back.” Dan recited the steps perfectly. Phil opened his mouth to protest, but Dan cut him off. “ _ And _ if he clearly doesn’t want it, let him go back to sleep.”

 

“Okay.” Phil grinned lightly, giving in. “I’m just a nervous parent, aren’t I? I’m sure you’ll do great.”

 

Dan grabbed his blanket off his bed and a pillow, as Phil checked on his puppy for at least the twentieth time that night. Dan was noticing that the new pet owner was starting to live off coffee, so he forced Phil to let him stay up to feed Astro at three.

 

“I’ll set up camp, you get to bed.” Dan joked, as he placed his duvet on the floor of Phil’s room, next to Astro’s sleeping crate.

 

Phil groaned. “You’re such a handful.”

 

“Not your handful anymore, not your problem.” Dan replied, as he crawled into his makeshift bed. “Sleep, you rat.”

 

Phil was still complaining, under his covers. “You’re the rat. Why don’t you get off the floor, it’s pathetic and makes me feel guilty for letting you do this. There’s plenty of space up here.”

 

Dan stopped for a heartbeat. “Wait, are you kidding or not? I really can’t tell.”

 

Phil scoffed. “I’ll change my mind if you don’t hurry up.”

 

Dan rose up, and carried his duvet to Phil’s bed. “I’ll take the offer, but keep your eyes off my phone.” He re-thought his sentence for a moment. “Not that I’ll be doing anything strange, you just need your beauty sleep, real bad.”

 

Phil turned away from his roommate. “Fine. Don’t kill my dog. Good night.”

 

Dan turned the other way, pulling himself under his blanket. “Night.”

 

It was nice, the two rarely shared beds anymore. They used to every few weeks back when they didn’t live together and Dan came down to visit, but once they moved into their first apartment, the novelty wore off.

 

So when they did end up sharing a sleeping place, it felt like a tribute to the early days of their friendship. However, those early nights usually consisted of them staying up until it was near sunrise— now one of them was off to bed at twelve, and the other staying up for their puppy.  _ Their  _ puppy. Phil had titled himself Astro’s loving mother, but Dan had become just as caring for the puppy and in love.

 

Dan aimlessly scrolled through tumblr until one, and grew bored and sleepy. He could have just gone to sleep and set an alarm to wake him up at three, but he was scared that an alarm would wake up Phil. He fought the drowsiness with some games on his phone he usually only played on plane rides. Time flew.

 

He took a break from his screen to take in his surroundings. Phil had turned towards Dan in his sleep, and was snoring quietly, and a small fake candle flickered in the corner, illuminating a small area as the rest of the room pooled into darkness, besides a little red light indicating that Astro’s heating pad was on. 

 

Dan checked the time, and discreetly got up to prepare Astro’s bottle. It was peaceful, sat on the ground by the candlelight, slowly feeding the pup. It was surreal, but in the best way.

 

One full night of sleep must have cleared Phil right up, because Dan woke up to the smell of pancakes through the house the next morning. Confused, Dan had crawled out of Phil’s bed and met his roommate wide awake, flipping pancakes.

 

“Go-o-od morning!” Phil sung out, handing Dan a plate. “I really used those extra hours.”

 

“I can see that.” Dan chuckled, turning to the table. Astro was squeaking in the distance, trying to escape from his nesting crate in the lounge, sunlight flooded the room, and Phil was humming a familiar tune. Dan hadn’t seen a morning like this in a while, especially not one where Phil wasn’t miserably eating instant oatmeal.

 

“I really wouldn’t mind feeding Astro at night more often, if it means I can get a good breakfast out of you.” Dan took a bite of his pancake. “Cause, man, this is good to wake up to.”

 

“Really?” Phil sounded grateful. “Hallelujah. He’s only five nights away from being six weeks, then he won’t need to be fed overnight anymore.”

 

“Alright, I’ll be on the night shift until then.” Dan remarked, smiling as Phil sat across from him at the table with his own plate of pancakes. “You’ve got a deal.”

 

So, for the following five days, Dan slept in Phil’s bed and stayed up to feed Astro. Phil started staying up a bit later, too, just talking with his best friend. Those moments, wrapped up in their bedsheets, staring into each other’s eyes, and giggling at one in the morning, truly sent a flood of nostalgia regarding their first home together. It was comfy, tying their days together by the ends.

 

The fifth night was peaceful. Dan left his duvet on the floor for the time, and shared Phil’s covers instead. Then they simply faced each other and talked. They would jokingly call it a  _ chit chat  _ in an annoying high pitched voice, like they were middle-aged moms, but made it a safe, homey place to spill whatever they wanted.

 

It was nearing one, when Phil would usually fall asleep, and he looked tired, but kept glancing to Dan and chuckling.

 

“What?” Dan prodded. Phil kept giggling, with a smile stuck on his face due to Dan’s cluelessness, and inched closer. Dan was still lost at what was so funny.

 

Phil rested his eyes. “Nothing, it’s not that funny,” he paused. “It’s just… really too much like you’re eighteen all over again, isn’t it?”

 

Dan stopped to think. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

 

The sixth night? Dan still ended up in his best friend’s bedsheets, even though Astro didn’t need a feeding. However, it went unquestioned, and they ended up nearly entwined with each other during their chit chat.

 

“I can’t wait ‘til Astro’s big enough to sleep out of the crate.” Dan whispered. “It’ll make things… whole, I think?”

 

Phil seemed to be caught off guard. “I don’t think we’re keeping him that long, Dan. He does go up for adoption in two weeks.”

 

“Shit, how’d I forget we’re just fostering?”

 

Phil shrugged. “I know where you’re coming from. I was kind of forgetting that we’re like, uh, world travellers, usually. Really does feel like ‘09.”

 

“Yeah?” Dan replied, pulling himself closer, and feeling his cheeks grow warm.

 

“Yeah.” Phil shifted until their foreheads and arms were brushing. “Good night.”

 

Dan sobbed like a  _ baby  _ the night before Astro was to be adopted. It was crazy that he’d gone from never thinking he and Phil could raise a puppy, to being a pro dog parent in a matter of weeks. They knew from the start that they wouldn’t be keeping him forever, but they’d gotten so used to caring for the puppy that it was surreal to think of their lives without him.

 

They let Astro sleep between them that night, and it only took Dan one glance at the puppy to start crying. He laughed through the tears, aware it was silly, but looked up to Phil who was tearing up, too.

 

“D-don’t look at me,” Dan sniffed between words. “I’m an ugly crier!”

 

Astro didn’t care about the situation at all, and just went straight to sleep, which made both boys laugh even harder.

 

“Look, look,” Phil took a deep breath and smiled lightly. “Once we’re old, and done travelling for the most part, we can get our own, proper dog.”

 

Dan wiped away his tears, rolling his eyes but a grin stuck on his face. “That’s a long time.”

 

“Wanna hear long time? 2009 was a decade ago.”

 

Dan choked, shaking his head. Phil had said that phrase many times already that year, mostly to prove a point that nothing is as long as it seems sometimes. Although, he wasn’t wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

As autumn crept in, Dan and Phil were ecstatic to travel again. It was there first trip since they’d taken in Astro, and the puppy had been adopted by a nice elderly couple who only lived a few minutes away and promised to supply pictures of Astro as he grew. Now, they hadn’t properly travelled in over two months, and must have forgotten how to, because it took them three hours to pack.

 

Thankfully there were no incidents having to do with nearly missing the flight like there usually was, and the flight went smoothly. Besides Dan almost stealing someone else’s suitcase when they’d landed, quickly remembering the importance of checking for the  _ Studio Ghibli _ -themed travel tag Phil bought him, they didn’t run into any other troubles.

 

Until the slight awakening caused by a note left behind by their hotel room’s maid when they arrived, reading, “We hope you enjoy your stay,  _ Lesters _ .”

“They probably just think we’re brothers,” Phil dismissed it and plopped down on the bed, stretching on his back. “Plenty of people do.”

 

“Eh, not sure. People  _ are  _ gay, Susan.” Dan chuckled, as he sat down as well. Alongside Phil. On the bed they were casually sharing.

 

After Astro left, they were just too used to the other’s company to give it up, though they never really acknowledged it, but the hotel room did have a whole other bed that went untouched, so it felt  _ noticeable _ . Though, they were far past what would be awkward.

 

Phil sat up, stopped himself from objecting, and just gave in, sarcasm edging his tone. “You’re totally right. Everyone thinks we’re married.”

They spent most of their first day in Berlin at an art festival Dan had been invited to, where he grew incredibly socially drained rather quickly, and Phil simply nodded along to the photography talk that he didn’t fully understand.

 

They headed down to a pier as the sun was setting over a calm lake, as they silently took in the scene, side by side.

 

Dan glanced over his shoulder, cheeks warm. “Did you miss this?”

 

Phil hesitated. “Miss what?”

 

“Uh, new places?” Dan shrugged. “New things?”

 

Phil smiled. “Yeah, guess so. But while we were at home, with Astro, it was a nice reminder that… old things are pretty great too.”

 

That made Dan stop to think, falling back into silence. Before Astro, both of them were more focused on trying new things and experiences to come, but spending such slow-paced time together rekindled their nostalgic sides.

 

“Y-yeah.” He checked the time, the evenings autumn breeze sweeping past. “Want a surprise?”

 

Phil raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

 

“A surprise, idiot,” Dan gave Phil a light shove on the shoulder. “Still got some energy left?”

 

“I do, I’m shocked that you still do.” Phil trailed behind Dan as the brunette turned back towards the hotel, now drawn in by curiosity. “I’m not exactly kidding, are you sure you’ve got the energy—”

 

“I’m not the old man here, and it’s not a party, I’ll live.” Dan grinned softly. “Come on, let’s go get your jacket.”

 

The boys headed down the streets of Berlin, Phil still unaware of his surprise as they strolled together underneath the yellow-tinted streetlights, mumbling and giggling. Dan suddenly came to a stop in the middle of a bridge, and peered out to the dark water. Phil suspiciously joined him, leaning against the edge, and stayed quiet.

 

Right when Phil decided to ask what was going on, a single firework flew up and popped over the water, bright blue and green sparks falling in the distance. With that, a chain reaction of lights began and colours filled the sky, as each firework reflected off the water. Phil was hooked in, and even Dan, who usually didn’t care too much for fireworks, was astounded; he didn’t believe the flyer he was given at first, that stated these would be the best fireworks in the city, but he couldn’t see it getting any bigger than what it was now.

 

Dan couldn’t help but stare at his best friend, who was completely mesmerized by the show, his blue eyes wide and a smile smacked on his face that practically overflowed with joy. It made Dan beam with pride, too.

 

The sun was rising over the water when Phil hazily woke up, warmth filling his entire body, and he immediately knew he didn’t want to get out of bed. However, his eyes blinked open a few times and he suddenly became aware of his situation— he was completely intertwined with and cuddling Dan.

 

Nothing felt wrong, or off, but it was  _ new _ .

 

Flashbacks to the night before played in Phil’s head. They’d walked back from the fireworks, cold and tired, but when they got back to the hotel room the people above them were loudly playing upbeat latino music, it was too great not to dance to. So they danced, laughing like they’d never broken a grin in their lives, and hands together with a terrible tango performance. Eventually, the music stopped suddenly, likely because of a complaint, and they collapsed on the bed, realizing they were  _ exhausted,  _ but still started to laugh every time they even glanced at each other.

 

Phil was overwhelmed, a flush of emotions filling him as he began to overthink the context, but he pushed it all away almost immediately. It was still early, too early. He started to fall back asleep, arms still clinging onto Dan.

 

/

 

“Never thought I’d connect so deeply with some teen girl quote that’s probably a good, what, seven years old?”

 

“And what would that be?”

 

“ _ Home is where the wifi connects automatically. _ ” Dan tossed his bags on the ground of Phil’s room, and slid out his phone, indulging himself with what he’d missed on twitter. Phil knew he’d be there for a while.

 

Their weekend in Berlin was extended when their flight home was cancelled, and they decided  _ why not just stay in Germany for a few more days?  _ Nothing was stopping them, so they did exactly that. With their extra three days, they spent some more relaxing time in the quiet city, absorbing the vintage aesthetic. They even went for a ride on what Dan called the most  _ extra-looking  _ boat ride, a candlelit gondola ride going through town.

 

The extra few days gave them a break from social media though, not exactly by choice, but by the fact Dan was too scared to ask someone working at the hotel what the free wifi’s password was. It felt like a good vacation, a breath of fresh air, but they were glad to be home.

 

Phil shuffled Dan’s things neatly together, and placed his own suitcase down. That was new, Dan leaving his belongings in Phil’s room, but it didn’t make such a difference. 

 

“I can move those if you need!” Dan called from his spot on the hallway floor.

 

“No, it’s okay!” Initially, Phil’s thoughts were focused on the fact that they were just sharing a room by now, but he shoved it away and made the best of it. “You’re just a hot mess.”

 

Dan smirked, not looking up from his phone. “I just need the motivation to clean up my act.”

 

Phil raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. I’m gonna go edit my video upstairs.”

 

While Phil was an hour into editing, Dan crawled up the stairs, a tired expression stuck on his face as he plopped on the sofa and wrapped himself with his giant brown blanket. Phil stared at him in disbelief. “You literally slept in until ten, slept the whole flight, and slept on the train home, how are you  _ still  _ tired?”

 

Dan flipped him off.

 

Phil turned back to his screen. “Well, if you’re up here, help me out. I downloaded some of my shots of your drone, how long do you think the clips should be all together?”

 

 Dan pulled the blanket over his head and fell back. “Eh, don’t go over twenty seconds. Slow some of them down though.” His reply was muffled. “And try to find a new song to put over it.”

Phil snickered. “You look like a rat that got hit by a truck right now.”

 

“Wow, thanks so much.” Dan’s voice was flat with sarcasm. “That’s the look I was aiming for.”

 

Within a few more hours, Phil managed to finish putting together his Berlin vlog and a somewhat clickbaity thumbnail for it. Usually he would’ve let Dan review it first, but his roommate was fast asleep on the couch, so he hit the upload button and turned away from the desk. He figured Dan would be starving when he woke up, so he ordered some chinese delivery and started unpacking some of his things. However, with a lot on his mind, he was disassociating the entire time.

 

He didn’t really expect to end up sharing a room, but he should have seen it coming, after all the nights Dan had insisted on sleeping in Phil’s bed. Though deep down he appreciated having extra company— not that they didn’t spend every waking hour together already.

 

When the food arrived, he brought it up to Dan, who had woken up and was sat at the computer, looking distraught. Phil sat beside him, curious.

 

“Uh, you missed something while you were editing.” Dan was switching between the video Phil had uploaded and the comment section, pointing to the fourth top comment.

 

‘ _ Go to 5:27, look at the beds. The one Phil “just got out of” is completely still made while Dan’s definitely seems like someone else slept there with him. See the crease in the pillow? Hmm..’ _

 

Phil groaned, falling back onto the couch. “I think they call those guys demon phannies or some shit. Sorry. Really.” Dan took a second. The comment only had a hundred likes, surely others would wash it out once the video was out for longer. It wasn't such a big deal.

 

“Let me look over the video next time, maybe.” He cracked a small smile. “The food smells incredible, let's eat.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

It was a gloomy afternoon, rain pouring down against the windows, as Phil was working on renewing his passport, sipping a cup of tea, and hoping the services would process his application before the film festival in Canada in a month’s time. The rain was getting him down, just a bit. He was aching for everything in the near future, like Halloween, some planned trips, the return of pumpkin spice lattes. But he was stuck filling out boring applications in rainy ol’ England.

 

Dan was out on a business meeting for a film company, which Phil thought sounded boring, but at least  _ he  _ was out of the house. Phil was on his own. He pulled out his phone, heading to twitter, boredom growing on him as he scrolled through his mentions. One caught his eye. Someone had quote tweeted him a link to someone in London who'd rescued some rabbits from cruelty and needed foster homes for them, and in an instant, Phil felt like this was his job.

 

He replied to the tweet with a quick “omg” to bookmark it, and quickly his followers told him he  _ needed _ to foster one. He knew he'd have to ask Dan, but he looked through the rescuers account to make sure it was legit and safe, researching it. The rabbits were all rescued from testing in partnership with makeup company, so all of them were fixed and somewhat up to date with shots, but most of them were traumatized and had slight disabilities. Phil already found his favourite, a golden furred girl with clouded eyes that had most likely been sprayed by perfumes, leaving her partially blind, but she was beautiful. Her name was Honeydew.

 

He texted Dan a bit of a keysmash that simply said “Dnan i want a fuKcin RABBIT” because he was so excited that he barely gripped onto his phone. Dan replied after a little while.

 

** Dani Snot On Fire **

_ what _

 

** Dani Snot On Fire **

_ please wait until im home before you adopt another creature _

 

** Dani Snot On Fire **

_ im almost there _

 

Phil pulled up a bunch of tabs about fostering rabbits, Honeydew and how they were rescued, expecting to have to beg Dan for it again. Shockingly, Dan agreed right away.

 

“As long as you know how to care for a bunny, get a bunny.” The brunette pushed back his wet curls, tumbling onto the bed. “We’re home for a while ‘til you get your passport anyway. It would make you happy.” Phil grabbed his laptop, rushing back to Dan and contacting the rescuer about fostering the honey-colored rabbit. He fell back, landing on Dan’s chest unintentionally, but didn't budge.

 

“You're literally the best.” Phil trilled, his voice vibrating against Dan’s warm chest. A simple phrase that filled Dan up with emotion, causing him to tear up and laugh, leaving Phil worried he’d done something wrong.

 

“Are you okay?” Phil stammered, rising from his spot quickly. “What's so funny, did someth—”

 

“It's fine. I guess I needed to hear some positivity today,  just…” Dan sighed. It had been a long day. “Want you to know,  _ you're _ actually the best.”

 

/

 

As if Phil couldn’t be anymore sure that Honeydew was certainly the rabbit he wanted, the day he got to pick her up, she ran right into his arms. It was like the perfect movie scene to Phil, but to the other people in the room, it was rather anticlimactic; the half blind bunny sort of just sniffed the strawberry in Phil’s hand and tumbled onto his lap.

 

But Phil had looked up to Dan with the softest smile, wearily nodding, and they knew they were both sold.

 

Phil was over the moon about having a pet again, instantly falling into the trap of ordering twenty different rabbit outfits on amazon within two hours of bringing Honeydew home. “At least she’ll be in fashion,” he’d insisted. “A different outfit for nearly every day she’s here.”

 

“You’re never going to make that money back, Phil.”

 

The rabbit owner was set out to prove Dan wrong, which happened rather dramatically. When his two-day shipment came in, Phil decided to make a  _ Rabbitwalk,  _ unboxing and showcasing the various outfits on Honeydew. He was quite happy with the video, easily one of his favourites, but what was shocking yet hilarious was the fact that the video went up to number six on trending within twenty-four hours, racking up two and a half million views in the timeframe. So, it was safe to say Phil got his money’s worth.

 

Phil didn’t stop there, either. He took it upon himself to buy a leash and harness for his fuzzy daughter and took her for a walk on the seaside. Dan was reluctant to join at first, but figured it was worth it if it made his best friend happy. Which was certainly the outcome; Phil had a look of pride stuck on his face the entire walk, as children came up to ask to pet the little creature and a few teens took pictures from afar. Dan took a nice picture, too, of Honeydew’s silhouette and Phil’s shadow overlapping, with the setting sun over the water in the background, and as he looked up back to them, he found himself smiling.

 

As they walked back home in silence, except for Phil whistling and cooing to Honeydew in his arms, Dan felt safe and warm and complete. It was a mystery to him why having an animal made him so wholesome suddenly, but it was working, and working well. He wondered if it was because… He glanced to Phil, who looked so gentle and tranquil holding the sun-dipped bunny, and his heart soared.

 

He wondered if it was because it felt like he had a family with Phil.

 

/

 

“Another charger?”

 

Dan held up a shredded phone cord that was covered with bite marks, eyes crinkled as he laughed. “Another charger.”

 

They’d kind of just let Honeydew become their new dog, giving her free roam of the house, but as Dan and Phil were both awfully forgetful, they’d accidentally left cords where she could reach them and nip at them.

 

It was a quiet night. They’d been binging a cheesy Netflix drama for a few hours and eating some microwaved popcorn in the lounge while Dan actually cuddled Honeydew for a little while before she got sick of it and hopped off to chew up Dan’s phone charger.

 

“Sorry,” Phil picked her up off the ground and lifted her into his arms. “Tired?”

 

“You can go. I’ll come soon.” He searched for an excuse. “Uh, wouldn’t want you to be bothered by my laptop.”

 

Phil looked like he almost didn’t believe it, but he simply nodded and gently put Honeydew down in her enclosure. He flicked off the hallway light. “Good night, Dan.”

 

Dan didn’t pull out his laptop at all. He just laid back and let out a sigh, knowing what he was feeling, as much as he wanted to repress it, he was in love with his best friend.

 

He ached to express to someone how he felt, but anxiety bubbled in his chest, and he’d never be able to tell Phil that he had some kind of feelings for him. Dan couldn’t even root out the feelings yet, whether they were romantic or just full of admiration, but it filled Dan up with butterflies everytime he looked at Phil nowadays. It was nice in the moment, but a heartache at times like these, where his anxiety caught control of him and he started to spiral into a cluster of catastrophic thoughts. What if somehow Phil found out or the fans found out and everyone left him because all he wanted to do was grow old and love his longest lasting friendship and— he stopped.

 

He rid of the negative thoughts taking over and stood up, flicking off the last light as he shuffled his way into Phil’s room. The eldest looked surprised to see him so soon, but smiled.

 

“Cold?”

 

Dan’s heart filled with an assortment of emotions at once, as he shrugged. He knew that phrase meant they were going to cuddle and look like some dream couple while they were doing it and fall asleep in each other’s arms and—  _ shit.  _ Dan realized he was just kind of standing in the dark when Phil’s voice brought him back into reality.

 

“You okay?” Phil’s soothing mumble filled Dan with peace. If it was okay, cuddling Phil simply platonically, it was worth it. So he nodded, quickly scrambling into the cozy bed, and let Phil wrap his arms around his waist, filling him with warmth. Phil nestled his face into Dan’s shoulder and brushed his leg up against the other’s, humming softly before whispering.

 

“Good night, again.”

 

Dan’s thoughts were still a cluster, but he managed to mumble out a soft “sleep well” as he was pressed against his best friend. It took a while for him to fall asleep, but having someone to cuddle with every night was it’s own dream come true.

 

/

 

Dan was sat at the breakfast bar, the morning two days before halloween, when the sky was a dull gray. Phil was on his phone in the lounge, Honeydew munching on strawberries in his lap, when Dan took his own phone and in a split second typed out three words and sent it to Phil; “phil i’m bi.”

 

He heard the notification sound, but couldn’t dare to look at Phil’s face as he read the message. He didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t what he got.

 

“Dan!” He whipped his head around to face his housemate, with wide eyes of delight. “You’re serious, right?”

 

“Y-yeah, I guess.” He stuttered on his phrase. “I guess I should explain. I don’t know why I didn’t just tell you, you’re right there and all…”

 

“Dan, I’m so fucking proud of you!”

 

That made Dan freeze, Phil rarely ever even said  _ shit,  _ so him full on f-bombing was showing that his phrase was unfiltered and as true as it could get. So naturally, Dan started tearing up, which led to crying, which led to ugly sobbing. Phil got up and gave him a tight hug, quietly reassuring him with little coos and whispers in his ear. Dan hugged back even tighter. He’d never come out before, hell, he didn’t think he would ever end up being bi, but there he was, being fully accepted and praised by Phil.

 

“I’m s-sorry,” Dan sniffed back his soppy nose, not letting go of Phil. “I would have just said it out loud, but I’ve been trying all w-week, and I couldn’t do it. Everytime I tried to bring it up I fucked up and I’m so sorry that I couldn't tell you cause you’re my best fucking friend in the whole world and I don’t deserve y-you at all and—”   
  


“Hey, hey.” Phil cut him off, pulling him away so they could face each other, but gripped Dan’s arms. “You know I’ll be your best friend no matter what, we deserve each other, okay?”

 

Dan’s eyes were wary, and his cheeks were wet from sobbing, as he struggled to hold back tears again. Phil saw it in those relieved brown eyes that all he needed was another hug. So he brought him in again, squeezing his weepy friend’s arms just enough to let Dan know he was there for him.

 

Then Phil started humming again. Dan knew he had a habit of doing so, but it was so incredibly soothing, and Dan finally figured out the tune right at that moment. The tune he always murmured at the right times matched up to the children’s rhyme,  _ you are my sunshine. _

 


	6. Chapter 6

The two spent Halloween night trick or treating with Louise and her kids in the moonlight. Phil was a knight, striking a confident pose with Honeydew dressed as a dragon in his arms in one of the pictures Dan took, whilst the younger man was a horse, and probably had the most embarrassing night of his life. At least Louise’s daughters, who had matching Princess Peach and Princess Daisy costumes on, seemed to love that they all had a fantasy theme going on.

 

“I swear, if you post any pictures of me in that dumb costume—”

 

“Sorry, love,” Louise giggled, showing the brunette that she’d already tweeted a photoset of Darcy and Dan posing with a number of jack-o-lanterns, captioned “princess peach and her loyal steed.” Dan cringed immensely.

 

“You’re lucky those are, like, the cutest pictures ever. I’m still going to burn this costume, though.”

 

The next day they had to give a sad goodbye to Honeydew as she was to be adopted. Phil only managed not to cry when he saw the pure joy on the eight-year-old daughter’s face when he gave her the shoebox full of rabbit costumes, and that made it worth it. He was glad to know that his rabbit would surely be in a good home.

 

Dan’s thoughts were clouded, after the fact of accepting his sexuality, he had the weight of coming out on his shoulders. No one was asking him to tell everyone, but after only letting Louise and Phil know, he noticed they’d both said something similar.

 

“I wish you’d told me sooner, I could’ve helped!”

 

Deep down, he knew they were being sincere, and that they just wanted to comfort him while he was stressing over labels, but were too late. However, what Dan’s mind took from that was guilt for not telling the people he loved most earlier, and he couldn’t help the feeling.

 

He knew he was going to visit his family soon, and deep down, he had the intentions of coming out, but it was so  _ hard _ to bring it up. It made him queasy just thinking about it. All he could think about was the little homophobic remarks he faintly remembered his father making, even though they were years back. Time had passed, and there was a chance that his dad already learned to accept identities different from him, but it was still  _ terrifying  _ thinking of coming out.

 

He couldn’t find the balance of guilt and fear. It was one or the other, and he wanted to get it over with, but he was so awful at talking about his feelings that it seemed impossible. He could talk to Phil, though, and he tried to explain what he had on his mind.

 

“I mean, I can talk to you no bloody problem,” he traced his hand over the stripes on the bedsheets, sat up and avoiding Phil’s gaze as he continued, “but even with  _ you  _ it took me ages just to text you that I was bi, and you were just in the other room. So it’s gonna be a headache saying it out loud to both of my parents and my family and I don’t know how I’m gonna do it.”

 

They fell silent, Dan letting out a deep sigh as the moonlight gleamed on his tired eyes. Phil knew him, and knew that his anxiety often took control of his mouth and mind. It took so much out of him just to ask for things sometimes, he’d have the words repeating in his head, pounding at all sides, but he wouldn’t be able to say it out loud, no matter how much he wanted to. It was likely that would happen the entire time he was with his family.

 

After that night, Phil felt a little useless, so he threw some ideas into the air besides Dan using his words. “A cake? That just says ‘I like boys too’? I could make it.”

 

“Eh,” Dan smiled weakly. “I’d have a lot of explaining to do after that. It would be kinda… out of character for me.”

 

Phil pressed his hand to his face. He had an idea, one that started off as just a jokingly put concept, but they might’ve actually been able to pull it off.

 

“We could… fake date?”

 

Dan’s eyes flashed with confusion, followed by…  _ relief _ ? Phil couldn’t make out the expression on the younger man’s face, but he could tell Dan assumed it was just for laughs. He chuckled under his breath. “Phil—”

 

“No, for real, it could work.” Phil tried to piece it together, words spilling out of his mouth without a filter. “You could… uh, break out the news easy that way, and click the point in right away without having to explain it all, and I’d be there to support you, so…”

 

“In what world is that going to work?” Dan stretched his arms across the counter. He had to admit, the plan wasn’t entirely flawed, in fact, even fake dating Phil was a bonus to having to come out. Phil looked hopeful when they met eyes, because all he wanted was to make things easier for his best friend.

 

Dan took a second, groaning and finishing with the smallest smirk he could manage, full of fondness. “Fuck it. What’s your plan?”

 

/

 

“We’re crazy.”

 

The late autumn wind creeped in the air on a particular afternoon where Dan and Phil wound up holding hands on a homey doorstep. They were both bundled up in cozy jackets and had tired eyes when they opened the door.

 

They were greeted by a dog with soft white fur, long legs, and the biggest snout Phil had ever seen. She sweetly sniffed the two men as they came inside, tail wagging. “Hello, Collie, pretty girl!” Dan’s voice pitched up as he gave the pup a gentle pat. “Look at you!”

 

“Daniel, if you call Molly  _ Colin junior _ one more time, I’ll start calling you  _ Jonathan junior _ .” A short woman with curly brown hair falling just to her shoulders and an apron around her waist emerged from the kitchen, immediately pausing as her eyes went up from her son and Phil’s interlaced hands. A shimmer of shock was in her eyes, partially because Phil was in her house, but mostly due to the boys holding hands. Dan let go to give her a hug.

 

“Good afternoon, Phil,” she gave Phil a light hug as well, though her phrase sounded more like a question than a statement, “wasn’t… expecting you. How was the train here?”

 

Dan swept in. “News for you, mum.”

 

“I presumed.” The surprise was wearing off, as she looked more sympathetic. “I’m happy for you, both of you, how long’s it been?”

 

Dan was the one in awe now. It certainly wasn’t the first question he was expecting, so it caught him off guard. “Oh… uh, few months. Figured even though everyone already  _ knows  _ Phil, you’d appreciate me telling you. And… dad.”

 

“Well, that’s one way to do it, innit?” She turned back to Phil, sharp on her heels. “I don’t even need to give you the whole talk, you’re the best Dan could’ve got. You like pork chops? I’m cooking them now.”

 

“That sounds lovely, thank you, Jennifer.” Phil’s cheeks were warm, as he stifled a small laugh. Dan was wide-eyed as ever, so confused as to how that it was just… that  _ easy. _

 

“Great, dear. Dan, why don’t you go see Colin? He’s asleep in his room. Dad’ll be home soon enough.”

 

Dan turned to the hallway. “Y-yeah.”

 

Phil gave him a little shove, as they hopped down a few stairs. “Easier than you thought, I’m guessing?”

 

“What the fuck just happened.” Dan whispered as he entered a whole room just for the dogs, assorted squeaky toys in bins along with worn out stuffed animals on a big dog bed. Colin was asleep on the smaller dog bed, waking up to Dan petting his little head. “Normally she’ll ask me a million questions but she was just so…  _ fine _ with it.”

 

“You’re old enough that she probably trusts that you’re fine.” Phil bent down to the old dog and stroked his side. “Was this your room?”

 

Dan pushed his curls back, nodding wearily.“Yeah, kinda. Right after I moved in with you they made it Adrian’s room, then when Adrian moved out, they made it Colin and Molly’s bedroom.”

 

“Goals.”

 

Dan snickered. “Shut up. Hopefully my dad trusts me too.” Colin’s tail wagged lightly as the brunette picked him up off the bad, placing the terrier in his lap. Dan’s mind was cleared for the first time all day, and it made him feel so much better. He was home, with the man who felt like home to him and his with his family’s embrace.

 

“I hope so, too. Can we make a dog bedroom?”

 

The corners of Dan’s mouth turned up quickly. “We don’t have any dogs, Phil.”

 

“I  _ know _ , I mean when we’re like, sixty, and have the shiba you always wanted plus a corgi-dachshund for me?” Phil was petting Colin’s soft fur now, too. “We can buy them so many dog toys, oh my god.”

 

“Yeah? Sure, I guess.”

 

The smell of the home-cooked dinner filled the house as they sat at the dining table patiently. Molly’s big head peeked over the edge with ease, tail wagging impatiently. Phil was already in love with the borzoi dog within half an hour of meeting her, so naturally, he was at her side. Even though he was focused on the pup, he was holding hands with Dan as well, and sensed him tense up when the front door opened. Dan’s father, John, came in through the kitchen, and had the same shocked face.

 

“Welcome back, honey.” Jenn planted a kiss on her husband’s cheek when he put down his bag, as he nodded to Phil and their connected hands. It looked as if he’d went through ten emotions within a few seconds, but he seemed to approve quickly. Phil could feel Dan’s racing pulse through the palm of his hands, so he squeezed a little bit more

 

“Good evenin’ Lester. How are you?” His voice seemed unphased— did  _ everyone _ expect Dan and Phil to get together, even their parents?

 

“I’m great,” the black-haired guest felt strangely out of place, but reminded himself  _ this  _ was for Dan. “How’s your day been?”


	7. Chapter 7

“I love this house.” Phil stretched out his arms, yawning. Their murmurs filled the dark, yet cozy, room that night. Their secret was safe, both parents buying it in a heartbeat. Nonetheless it still felt risky, as they’d barely thought out the aftermath— they’d have to stage a break up, supposedly, but it would look… strange still living together after the fact if they were ‘broken up’.

 

They silently chose not to think about it, nor talk about it. Dan focused on the more positive present. “Thanks, for real, my dad took it super well.”

 

“I’m glad.” Phil’s words were so peaceful and full of endearment that Dan felt his eyes tearing up, just because he felt so extremely lucky to have such a lovely man by his side all the time. Even if the romantic parts were faked, Phil was practically Dan’s soulmate. His other half.

 

“I’m… glad, too. Glad you’re here.”

 

The night shifted to sunrise soon enough, and Dan didn’t sleep too long— though that wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. The pair did, however, wake up with a jolt when a little pig-tailed girl burst into their room. “Uncle  _ Da-a-an _ !” She plopped on top of the brunette, squeezing her small arms around his frame.

 

He hugged her back, still wary as he rubbed his eyes. “Morning Val, how are you?”

 

Valerie pressed her hands to her cheeks, clearly more interested in her uncle’s companion. “Who’re you, again?”

 

“I’m Phil,” he smiled warmly. “Haven’t seen you in a long time, do you remember me?”

 

“Uh, yes?” She sounded hesitant for a moment. “You… gave me flowers at my recital ‘cause Uncle Dan was broke, right?”

 

Dan groaned. “You’re right. But he’s here for Nan’s birthday, is that okay?”

 

“Yeah!” Valerie gave Phil an enthusiastic high five. “Come on outta bed, I’ll show you my doggies!”

 

The look Adrian gave Dan as they met in the hallway was the most comedic  _ knew it  _ look the older brother had ever seen. Apparently Dan and Phil were the only ones who didn’t see how compatible they were. Sure, it took a whole lot of endearment and tolerability to live together for eight years, but did all of the family members just assume they’d end up all over each other?

 

Valerie, Adrian’s six year old daughter, was caught up showing Phil her three stuffed animals when Dan arrived into the lounge, her loud, but rather cute voice filling the room.

 

“And  _ this  _ one doesn’t have a name yet.  _ Woof! _ But look at her pretty collar!”

 

“She’s very cute.” Phil was cross-legged with the two ther toys on his lap. “What’s a good name for her?”

 

“Uh…” she stared at the toy, then back to Phil. “What was your bunny’s name again?”

 

“Honeydew.”

 

“Her name should be Honeydew junior, then!” Dan snickered at her response. She hopped off her feet, tugging her father’s shirt. “Dada! I really  _ really  _ want a bunny rabbit! Can we get one?”

 

“Maybe.” Adrian lifted her off the ground. “What’s for breakfast?”

 

It didn’t take long for Phil to feel at home with the mis-match known as the Howell family. As more relatives crowded into the old-fashioned lounge, he listened to older aunts and uncles’ stories about the eighties, Dan, or each other, and was on the edge of his seat. It was safe to say that he didn’t feel out of place in the house anymore, though he wasn’t ready for just one of their customs. After howling two rounds of  _ Happy Birthday  _ to Dan’s grandmother and the cake had been generously served, one of Dan’s aunts started a toast.

 

“To Nan’s new year!”

 

“To Nan!” The family chanted, wine glasses tapping and the kids lifting their plastic cups enthusiastically.

 

“To new lives!”

 

“To Leah!” One of Dan’s cousins, perhaps a second cousin as Phil was starting to lose track, smiled with her newborn baby that they’d tributed to.

 

“And to new lovers!”

 

Dan immediately turned a shade of pink, and mouthed the words “you gotta kiss me” to Phil in a jitter. Most of them chanted, “To Dan!” Though a few said “to Dannyboy” instead, and Val straight up screamed “To Phil!” Phil was caught off guard by that, but realized halfway through the toast what was happening.

 

Dan pulled towards him and their lips met for just a moment. The family cheered around the table and sipped their drinks, Dan drinking his water coyly. Phil felt the need to take Dan’s hand in his own under the table, which alarmed the younger man for a split second as their eyes met again. The alarm quickly wore off and was replaced with relief, and Dan couldn’t keep himself from smirking.

 

“I love your family  _ so  _ much.”

 

It was later that night. Val, Adrian, and his wife Mareya were staying in the guest room, so Dan and Phil were sleeping on a blow up mattress in the dogs’ room. Phil was curled up on the side closest to Molly, naturally, when Dan came in after washing up. 

 

“Yeah? Uh, by the way,” He ruffled his hair back as he plopped onto their makeshift bed. “Sorry that I didn’t…  _ warn _ you about the whole toast. It’s a thing they do and I totally forgot until it, y’know, happened.”

 

“Don’t worry. Besides, your family is so amazed that you even have a boyfriend.” The black-haired man raised an eyebrow. “A  _ hot  _ one, too.”

 

“Stop.”

 

“Come on,  _ babe _ ,” That certainly didn’t roll off his tongue naturally, as he cringed at his own words, but it made Dan laugh, and that made it worth it. “I know, I’m hilarious, aren’t I?”

 

“Gross,  _ stop _ .” Dan pressed his hand to Phil’s cheek, pretending to slap him. “Good night.”

 

“Night,  _ baby _ .”

 

Dan sighed, staying quiet. Phil almost thought he’d won before the brunette blurted out, “Nasty.”

 

Phil couldn’t help but laugh, too.

 

Valerie clearly liked Phil, giving him a dramatic kiss on the cheek the following evening when it was nearly time to leave. She made her uncle kneel down too, so that she could reach his ear, and whispered, “Can we trade boyfriends?”

 

“You have a boyfriend?” Dan queried. She shook her head, baffled.

 

“Of course not! But I know Matthew R. in my class has a big crush on me.” She kept her voice low as she continued,  “You’d like him, ‘cause he likes starbucks and youtube and Halloween.”

 

Dan laughed, causing Phil and Val’s parents to look back to her, confused. The seven year old violently shushed him before he replied. “I’ll pass.” She stuck out her tongue in response, and finally gave Dan a hug.

 

“Bye, uncle Dan. Bye, Phil!”

 

As they waved goodbye, Dan grasped Phil’s free hand lightly. “That kid.”

 

“She’s so precious.” Phil rested his head on the taller man’s shoulder, before turning around to the guest room. While their hands remained linked, he lazily kicked the door behind them and danced around the room. They looked quite clumsy and strange but they were laughing, ear to ear, and that was all that mattered.

 

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine-e-e,” Dan mocked Phil’s habit, but out of admiration. The eldest almost forced himself to look annoyed, but his face cracked a loving smile.

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Phil was reluctant to reply, instead tossing his arms around Dan’s wide frame. “Maybe not. You win.”

 

“You make me happy, when skies are grey,” the brunette’s voice was out of tune and exhausted, but it only smothered Phil even more. “You’ll never know dear, how much I love you-u-u.”

 

Phil laughed, as his dance partner held the note terribly, before realizing Dan was waiting for him to finish the lyric. His eyes softened.

 

“Please don’t take my sunshine away.” He murmured just loud enough, so only Dan could hear, because his best friend was the only person in the world he ever wanted to hear him at that moment. It was tooth-achingly sweet, the way they were tangled up together and simply looking into each other’s eyes. They were both giggling because of how cheesy their situation was, and because they were both too aware of what was bound to happen. After a second of silence, their lips met.

 

That was just for them, and they both had grins on their faces like the lovestruck idiots they were because  _ of course  _ they fell for each other, like everyone sensed they would. They tumbled onto the bed beside each other, Phil leaning up against Dan’s chest, still laughing softly. “Did you know I love you, Dan Howell?”

 

Dan wrapped his arms around Phil this time, warmth filling them both. “Don’t think you’ve mentioned it, no.”

 

They barely slept that night, facing each other and giggling because they were both so oblivious, weren’t they? Phil kept curling his fingers around little bits of Dan’s locks and reciting things he loved about his best friend and his family. Dan cried a few times, unable to express how much he loved the other man, but always ended up smiling. That night could’ve lasted forever, and they wouldn’t have complained.

 


	8. epilogue

 

Home sweet home. Where thirty dollar frames from France were hung with possibly the cheesiest honeymoon photo taken inside of it, rings glistening and smiles underneath the eiffel tower. The frame read  _ City Of Love  _ and whilst it made Dan want to  _ cringe to death _ , as he’d said while buying it, it ended up being hung in the centre wall of their lounge.

 

They were walking along the shoreline at sunset, hands locked, and talking to each other like always. They knew they were often like film-scene-lovers, but they were happy, and that was all that mattered.

 

They’d be happy as long as they had each other, they knew that all too well. Whether in Paris eating donuts in a little cafe or growing old in their forever home with a couple dogs, they’d learned to appreciate it all.

 

They spotted a familiar pair a little way down the path, on the sand, and it only took them a moment to recognize the little fluff playing in the water. “Astro!” Phil called out, and the grey dog came running to them. His owners looked delighted as he nuzzled his long nose into Phil’s arms. Dan bent down to his husband, and realized he was crying tears of joy.

 

Perhaps most things aren’t new. Maybe they’re just renewed memories, because it was just like the day they brought Astro home— Phil with teary eyes, Dan in love. Not too much had changed, but it felt like everything changed at the same time. Maybe that’s what home sweet home was. Building off of memories.

 

The waves fell along the low tide, the sky rosy, and it was all okay. Because it was clear now, whether up, away, off their feet or appreciating the life they had a home, Dan and Phil were just grateful to have each other.


End file.
